Jacket potato fatigue

This afternoon I’m suffering from a medical condition called Jacket Potato Fatigue.

Now don’t laugh, this is serious. It’s brought on by eating a large baked spud on a lunch break, too quickly (and possibly without really drawing a breath) while sat hunched over a computer, and symptoms include extreme lethargy, slight blurred vision, back ache and shortness of temper.

Basically I feel like every other organ in my body has shut down in a vain attempt to prioritise digestion of the crippling potato.

But, like with smokers’ cough, or gout, I’m well aware of the behaviour that brings on an attack, and that succumbing to a baked spud at lunchtime will result in Jacket Potato Fatigue. I’ve suffered before. And yet, like a moth drawn to a flame, I still go to the baked potato stand. Why?

Well firstly I do love a good baked spud. I like them with cheese, then beans, then coleslaw (in that order – I get very upset if the order of toppings is mixed up).

And secondly, I’m on a bank holiday shift in the newsroom today, so I felt the need for a bit of stodge, but lunchtime options were limited. None of my usual favourite shops were open, and I couldn’t take my colleague Whaddy up on his offer of picking something up from Morrisons. So I went for a wander into Derby city centre and one of the only places I could find serving food was the jacket potato stand.

We’re back to the issue of convenience, because most local greengrocers and market stalls simply don’t open on bank holidays, so unless you’re very well planned, the only option available is the supermarket.